OSHA reverses covid vaccine stance

apparently, worker safety ends where covid politics begins

a couple of weeks ago, OSHA updated its regulations for covid vaccination (more HERE)

they made it clear that if an employer is going to mandate vaccination for workers, then all adverse events to those vaccinations must be counted and become recordable workplace safety events.

this was so at odds with the “vax or else and damn the safety questions” stance of the current administration that it was hard not to speculate on how long this could survive. this was from my post may 8th:

we now have our answer:

2 weeks to flatten the safety regs

so, they passed the rule, but they are now saying it will not be enforced for the next year, which is, let’s face it, the whole ballgame here.

it’s a total repudiation of their policy and a cowardly, sneaky climb down that lacks even the honesty of repealing the rule.

they openly admit that this is completely political.

“OSHA does not wish to have any appearance of discouraging workers from receiving covid-19 vaccination.”

this is the language of “look” and “image” not of science and safety. imagine this with any other mitigation.

“OSHA does not wish to discourage wearing a respirator while sanding fiberglass, so we will not require collection of safety issues arising from long term respirator wear.”

it’s patently absurd.

yet here we are where once more, politics is the payor of the piper and shall therefore always call the tune. OSHA never stood a chance. this was never about safety or science and OSHA is telling you it wasn’t (perhaps in a subtle but public rebuke of having been so directly meddled with?)

this is the same blatant politics that “THE SCIENCE™” has kowtowed all along. there is no room in it for data, for medicine, and certainly not for cost/benefit analysis. there is only policy and pretext, image and mandate.

for all those cheerleading this descent into political theater masquerading as health policy, as ever, i have just the one question: